NEWBERG, Ore. - Top-seeded and unbeaten George Fox used a hot start to build a commanding lead and never allowed fourth-seeded Whitworth to cut into the deficit en route to a 95-64 victory in the semifinals of the Northwest Conference Tournament on Thursday night at the Wheeler Sports Center.

KC McConnell scored a game-high 24 points for Whitworth but the balanced George Fox offense proved too much for the Pirates to overcome. The Bruins, ranked No. 2 nationally, improved to 25-0 and will advance to face second-seeded Puget Sound on Saturday evening. The Loggers earned an 84-79 win in overtime over third-seeded Whitman Thursday evening in the other semifinal matchup.

Whitworth, appearing in its fourth consecutive NWC Tournament, was eliminated and fell to 15-11.

George Fox started the game with authority, jumping to a 7-0 lead. After the Pirates cut the deficit to 9-5 on a 3-pointer by Tayler Flemming, the Bruins answered with a 14-2 run that spanned the remainder of the first quarter to take a 23-7 lead.

George Fox continued to control the pace of the game during the second quarter and led 43-25 at halftime, denying opportunities for the Pirates to cut into the deficit with efficient offense while forcing turnovers defensively.

Kaitlin Jamieson, the Bruins' 6-3 center, asserted herself early and led George Fox with 15 points before halftime. She made all seven of her shots from the field in the first and second quarters, helping the Bruins to a 53.1 field goal percentage in the first half. Defensively, George Fox forced 13 Whitworth turnovers during before halftime to compliment the offense.

With Whitworth facing an 18-point halftime deficit, the Bruins scored the first six points in the second half and never allowed the Pirates to close the gap to any fewer than 21 points from that point forward, stretching the lead to as many as 35 points during the fourth quarter.

A trio of George Fox players finished in double figures, led by Jamieson with 18 points. Justine Benner and Kim Frost added 16 points apiece. Benner also finished with seven assists while Jamieson added three blocked shots.

The Bruins shot 54.8 percent from the floor in the contest, including 9-20 from 3-point range. George Fox also won the turnover battle, 21-7.

Flemming scored 11 points for the Pirates and Alexis McLeod added eight points. The Pirates made 40 percent of their shots from the field (22-55), but were 3-11 from long range.

The 95 points scored by George Fox was the team's highest scoring total of the season, and the most points surrendered by Whitworth during 2016.

McConnell surpassed 1,600 points for her Whitworth career and will conclude her career at No. 3 on the all-time career points list with 1,605 points.

The Whitworth women posted a winning record for the fourth consecutive season.